Mikael Backlund News: One of each Thursday

Backlund scored a goal on three shots, dished an assist and went plus-2 in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Kings.

Backlund's pair of points came in the third period. He set up a Zayne Parekh tally at 8:24 of the frame, then scored just over three minutes later. Backlund perhaps headed off some age-related concerns with eight goals over the last seven games of the season. Still, he had just 15 goals, 32 points and 175 shots over 76 outings this year. The Swedish center will be in a contract year in 2025-26.